The Pop Sound - Upper Mix

(Techniques CD track 29-30 / DVD chap 11)

The upper mix is used to increase the upward

range of singers who sing primarily in the chest
register to give the impression of extending the
chest range. The upper mix is used by both
female and male Pop, Jazz, Gospel and Musical
Theatre singers and by tenors, baritones and even
basses in Classical singing.
The upper mix for females begins at
approximately A above middle C and may
extend even as high as high C or above. For the
male voice, the upper mix usually occurs
somewhere between F above middle C and the
Bb above that, but may extend far above that,
depending on the individual singer.

Carol Crisong Recording Artist

It is not authentic Pop style to suddenly "break" into soprano / falsetto when going for the high
notes. Instead, as you move upward through the passaggio, maintain the mouth-nasal resonance
and control the focusing strength of the vocal cords so that you gradually and smoothly move into
the upper register while keeping the color of the lower register. This feels like you are gradually
releasing or relaxing the focusing strength of the cords, but don't unfocus the cords to the point of
breathiness. Maintain a clear tone throughout the passaggio.
To add richness to the mix, add some chest color by opening the throat space but do not
necessarily add volume. This technique allows you to sing higher notes in your Pop voice without
bringing full chest register too high. Singing too high in full chest register can be damaging to the
voice. Many Gospel singers use the mix to carry the chest quality up into the soprano or falsetto
range for a more powerful sound.
Exercises for upper mix also help strengthen the upper register of the Classical and legit female
voice.
Singing too high too soon can put undue stress on your voice. You must stretch the range
gradually, never force and never repeat an exercise over and over in a range where your voice is
still not stable and strong. We are building a technique. Vocal stamina comes through slow,
steady and consistent practice, not by trying to make up for lost practice time by suddenly
jamming your instrument with vocal gymnastics for hours at a time.
The passaggio is a somewhat vulnerable area of the voice and is often the first area to weaken
when there is vocal fatigue. You may understand a concept immediately but your voice needs time
to learn and absorb since it involves muscles and coordination.

EXERCISES:
In the following exercises, use medium volume until your register transition is consistently
smooth.
1. On the sound "Hey" or "nyaa" ("aa" as in hat), slide your voice on a siren-like tone, beginning
in the lower register, moving upward slowly and smoothly through the passaggio into the upper
register and then back down. Keep your support firm through the whole exercise. Use your
fingertips to check.
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2. For the female voice.

Sing:

(Tech CD trk 29)

For the male voice.

Sing:

Maintain forward placement and a pure vowel. Gradually release the focusing strength of the
vocal cords as you move upward through the passaggio. A yawn-like sensation will help smooth
the transition by relaxing the focusing of the vocal cords. As you move back down, gradually
increase the focusing strength without tightening the throat muscles or losing the yawn-like
feeling.
The objective is to eliminate any abrupt changes in volume, focus, placement, vowel clarity or
vocal color. Don't give in to the tendency to relax support on the downward slide. Use your
fingertips to check. Begin in chest color and feel a gradual shift along the resonance track into
mouth-nasal color, then nasal-head color and back down.
3. Use this exercise for working on your blend (mixed register).
For the female voice:

Sing:

(Tech CD trk 30)

4. And for the male voice.

Sing:

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5. On a comfortable high note in your lower register, sing this downward arpeggio as short, single,
detached notes or staccato and then connected or legato. Use the sound "ow" (as in ouch). Begin it
with a pure "aa" (as in hat). To avoid a glottal attack, approach the beginning of the vowel with a
"silent H".

Sing:

6. Repeat Exercise 5 a half step higher each time. Gradually increase the head-nasal emphasis as
you move higher in pitch.
7. Sustain each note in the following exercise with 6 pulses of vibrato using the word sounds
below:

Sing:

8. Repeat Exercise 7 a half step higher each time. Gradually increase the head-nasal emphasis as
you move higher in pitch.
9. Repeat, using the phrases on page 46.
10. Once the mix is smooth at medium volume, repeat the exercises a little louder and then a little
softer.
11. Continue to develop your mixture with these more advanced exercises.
Use the "nyaa" and "nay" sounds.

Sing: a)

c)

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Keep practicing these exercises until you have mastered the mix and the smooth blend between
lower and upper registers.

NOTES

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